Wine Experience Hub
Below is all the information that you need for hosting an awesome wine tasting!
Pre-Event
What You'll Need
- Friends! (typically 6-12 people)
- Grape Nights Box (inc. 3 or 6 lovely wines)
- Wine Glasses (at least 1, but ideally 3 pp)
- Water
- Tasting mat per person
- Blank tasting note page
- Nibbles/ cheeses/ food pairings
- Corkscrew
- Speaker (to play our curated playlist)
- Spittoon (optional)
Food Pairings
Spanish Food Pairings
Cheeses: Manchego, Comté, Morbier, Feta, Cheddar, Brie, Gouda, Jarlsberg, Goat Cheese
Meats: Grilled Chicken, Lamb Cutlets, Red Meats, Grilled Meats, Grilled Herbed Lamb Chops, Braised Basque Chicken
Seafood: Oily Fish, Seafood, Shellfish
Appetizers and Light Meals: Antipasti, Light Dishes, Salads, Spicy Asian Cuisine, Barbeques
Hearty Dishes: Casseroles, Stews, Patatas a la Riojana (Potato & Chorizo Stew), Vegan Sausages.
Italian Food Pairings
Cheeses: Gorgonzola, Comté, Cambozola, Manchego, Morbier, Cheddar, Smoked Gouda
Meats: Salami, Roast Meat, Pork Sausages, BBQ Meats, Steak Tartare
Appetizers and Light Meals: Mushroom Risotto, BBQ Beans / Bean Stew, Charcuterie Board
Hearty Dishes: Gnocchi Al Ragù, Risotto, Tomato-based Pasta Dishes
How to Set-up
- Ideally, you want to host around a good-sized table and chairs with ample lighting
- If you are using tasting mats and notes, print these out, place these down 1 each per person.
- Place clean wine-tasting glasses per person on the tasting mat (ideally 3 per person but at least one will work!)
- Ensure plenty of water is on the table
- Wines (20/20 rule: put your red in the fridge for 20 minutes before serving, and take your white out 20 minutes before)
- Set your table with any nibbles, snacks, or dishes in the centre ready for everyone to share.
- Provide white napkins, which work both for food and also to provide a white background to view the appearance of the wine
Top Tips
- DRINK WATER - do not forget this, it’s so important to stay hydrated during a wine tasting, and i usually recommend at least matching the quantity of water to wine, this way you reduce the hangover too!
- 15-20 mins per wine is suggested, giving time to enjoy and think about each wine
- The suggested pour is around 50 ml per person, which will serve up to 12 glasses per bottle plus a little left if anyone wants to revisit
- Avoid any strong smells to distract you so avoid cooking smells, perfume etc.
Post-Event
Wines
If you liked any of the wines from the tasting and would like to order some directly, please reach out to us at hello@grapenights.com for more info!